Fatty-joe

Erroll Garner is not a household name, but when the jazz pianist was in his prime between the 1940s and 60s, anyone who listened to popular music knew him. On the Johnny Carson show, on the radio, Garner was one of those rare jazz players who managed to be innovative and popular, which is why he was both a big earner for Columbia Records, and one of the few true jazz artists to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For Variety, Dan Ouellette writes about something else that made Garner famous: the successful lawsuit he filed against his record label, Columbia Records, for breaking his contract. Record labels ripped off many Black musicians, particularly jazz musicians, and Garner’s successful suit made him, as the article’s title puts it, “the first artist to sue a major label and win.” It started when Garner’s manager, Martha Glaser, was able to get Columbia to include a clause in his contract, which let Garner approve or reject any new music released under his name. This was hi...